I usually leave the politics off this blog, but occasionally I feel compelled to spew.
I voted for Eliot Spitzer for Governor. He was a fairly effective Attorney General, though he clearly overreached on some issues and has few friends within the Wall Street community. His first year as Governor was clearly rocky and his running feud with Joe Bruno did not serve the state well. It was clear to most that his mistakes were ego-driven. His self-righteous approach made him blind to the fact that his tactics were borderline unethical.
And now the call-girl saga leading to his resignation shows the same arrogance. A governor who built his reputation on law and order will be held to a higher standard. The resignation was appropriate and necessary. The public does not expect officeholders to be infallible, but we have little tolerance for hypocrisy. Foibles that others can get away with become bigger issues for those who wrap themselves in sanctimonious moral authority. That’s why affairs by a Ted Haggard or David Vitter tend to generate more outrage than those of a Jesse Jackson or Barney Frank. When you build your public persona around a specific trait, you will be held to a higher standard around that trait. That’s why Barack Obama has to walk gingerly in counter-attacking Hillary and it’s the reason why lobbyist influence in the McCain campaign means more than it does for the other candidates.
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